I left just about a week ago and let
me tell you the first part of the flight was great, it was very relaxing.
Then came the next three stops. I went from Amsterdam to Cairo,
from Cairo to Addis Ababa, and then from Addis Ababa to Kigali, Rwanda.
During my trip, Satan did everything he could to stop me from arriving at my
final destination. It all started with a €150 extra baggage fee. I
paid it because I had no choice and they told me I would not have to pay
anything more to get my bags to Kigali. This made life very
interesting because it took all of my cash to pay the baggage fee, but I
trusted God that he had everything in control. But like I said that was
just the beginning. When I got to Cairo they detained me for six hours
and treated me like a criminal. In order to leave they made me by a
return ticket to Cairo, which was $300 and then an extra bag fee again for
$200. Let me tell you it will take everything and more to get me to ever go
back to Cairo. I told the representative of Ethiopian Airlines that I'd rather
take a rowboat home than ever go through Cairo! That being said I finally
got to Kigali, Rwanda after four days of travel and only three hours of sleep
in those four day.
It just so
happened that the day I arrived, the Assemblies of God church, which is loosely
connected to Come And See Africa, was putting on a revival in Butare, Rwanda
for the next five days. By the time we arrived in Butare, Rwanda,
which is three hours from the capitol, and where I'm living, I had been up for
nearly 120 hours. The amazing thing was that when I finally was able to go to
bed I wasn’t tired!! Fortunately, I was able to get plenty of sleep the
next day. At the revival, over 100 people were saved and another 100
rededicated their lives to Christ!
Since being
in Rwanda I have visited two places that really hit me. The first was
very depressing, but the second was very inspirational. My first visit
was to the Rwandan Genocide Memorial. This was probably the most horrific
thing I've ever seen in my life. The second thing, and not depressing in
the slightest, was going to Kigali and checking out the facilities at Africa
New Life, another missionary organization. The progress they have made is
an absolutely amazing feat. God has really blessed them. Their
methods have given me some great ideas for the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse
is the University of Rwanda Christian outreach center. It has a hotel,
meeting areas, and is our outreach base.
There are several things you can be
praying for. Firstly, that I will continue to adjust well to being in
Rwanda. Secondly, that funds will continue to be funneled towards me for
what I'm doing here in Butare (if you would like to know more my support letter
is attached as well). Thirdly, that we can get the cargo container
cleared quickly so that we can have it delivered directly to us at the
lighthouse. Fourthly, that the bank loan will go through so that we can finish
the lighthouse, and lastly, the most important, that I will continue to walk the
path God has for me.
